Google Maps Coordinates: Find, Enter and Copy Latitude and Longitude

Find coordinates on your device

Device instructions: computer¹, Android², and iPhone/iPad³.

Keep the selected point in view while you read its numbers.

Copy the pair on a computer

To copy the coordinates on a computer, click the latitude-and-longitude pair in that pop-up.¹

Paste the result into a note or the receiving field. Keep both numbers together unless the form provides separate latitude and longitude fields. Before you send it, use the verification step below.

Copy or transfer the pair on your phone

If your mobile interface lets you copy the displayed numeric coordinates, paste them into a note and check that you received two numbers rather than a Plus Code or a map link.²³⁴⁵

If you cannot copy the numeric pair on your phone, write the displayed coordinates into a note, preserving their order, signs and decimal points, then search that pair again in Google Maps before sharing it.²³¹

For example, keep a plain-text note like this:

41.40338, 2.17403
Order: latitude, longitude

The numbers are an example from Google’s coordinate instructions. Replace them with your selected point.

If the phone will not let you select the numeric coordinates, share the location so you can open it on a computer, confirm the intended point, then right-click that point and click its coordinate pair.⁶⁷¹

To share a map location on Android, iPhone or iPad, find the place or drop a pin, tap its name or address at the bottom, tap Share, and choose an app.⁶⁷

These are practical alternatives when you cannot transfer the numeric text directly. Choose the one available to you and check the resulting point.

Enter latitude and longitude in Google Maps

Google Maps accepts decimal degrees (DD), such as 41.40338, 2.17403, as well as degrees, minutes and seconds (DMS) and degrees and decimal minutes (DMM) in its search box.¹²³

Enter latitude first and longitude second.¹

Use a period for each decimal point; Google’s valid example is 41.40338, 2.17403, while 41,40338, 2,17403 is invalid.¹

Latitude must be between -90 and 90, and longitude must be between -180 and 180.¹

A decimal-degree pair is convenient for a plain-text note. Paste just the pair into Search; keep labels such as “latitude” in the note rather than the search text.

For a source written in DMS or another coordinate system, use the existing Earth coordinate conversion guide rather than changing punctuation by guesswork.

Send coordinates, a Plus Code or a link?

Choose the output your recipient needs: send the two numeric coordinates for a latitude-and-longitude field, a Plus Code for a digital address, or a Maps link for opening the map.¹⁴⁵

Keep the city with a shortened Plus Code

A Plus Code is a digital address; Google gives JJXX+HR8, Seattle as an example.⁴

When searching for a Plus Code in a town or city you are not currently in, include the town or city name, such as JJXX+HR8, Seattle.⁴

For that shortened example, send the code and “Seattle” together. If someone specifically asks for latitude and longitude, send the numeric pair instead of asking them to recover it from a code or link.

Check a rejected pair or the wrong result

After copying or typing a pair, search it again in Google Maps and check the pin and nearby features against the location you intended to send.¹

If Maps rejects the pair, check latitude-first order, decimal points and the permitted ranges before trying again.¹

If the search opens the wrong point, compare both numbers with the original, including their order, minus signs and decimal points, and check that the original pin marks your intended place.¹

Use this short check:

1. Compare the first and second values with your original note.
2. Restore any lost minus sign or decimal point.
3. Check the selected pin against the intended building, entrance or meeting point.
4. Search the corrected pair again before sharing it.

Keep the original record while checking a mistake. Do not replace missing digits with guesses. For classroom examples, choose a public place rather than a student’s home.